As it stands, the New England Patriots have some salary cap issues. They’re currently operating with less than 900K left under the cap.
This can change quickly with trades, releases, contract extensions and restructures, but for now, the team doesn’t even have enough cap room to sign the 12 picks it has in the 2020 draft.
While that’s not an enviable position, there is no need for the fanbase to panic. The team could make a variety of moves to free up space, but it could also simply wait to sign the rookies it drafts later this month.
The Patriots Can Wait Months Before Signing Their Draft Picks
Per Patriots cap expert Miguel Benzan, the team could wait until the start of training camp to sign all of their picks:
As Benzan mentions, this isn’t the customary approach, but considering the Patriots’ situation, it might be a wise one–at least in part.
The Patriots Still Have Several Holes to Fill
Including quarterback Tom Brady, a whopping 11 players who played a significant role for the Patriots last season will not be with the team in 2020. These absences are on both sides of the ball and hit every unit of the football team.
Some of these players have been replaced, how adequately still remains to be seen, but head coach and general manager Bill Belichick may not be comfortable with rookies plugging each of the gaps.
While the team has 12 draft picks, it seems a good possibility, they may not wind up with that many selections when it’s all said and done. There is a chance the team could trade up to bring in another young QB to compete with Jarrett Stidham for the right to replace Brady, and other potential maneuvers.
In any case, waiting until just before the start of training camp would give the team flexibility to sign other cap-casualty releases, or to secure a deal they or a trade partner weren’t ready to make earlier in the offseason.
Trading a Veteran is an Option, But Maybe Not Right Now
Moving a player like the franchise-tagged Joe Thuney is a possibility, and so is signing him to an extension. The Patriots may need to evaluate his trade market before determining if dealing him is the right move. The team also has veterans and holdovers from last year who didn’t play a significant role because of injury.
Center David Andrews and tackle Yodny Casjuste are players who fit into that category. If the Patriots wait to sign draft picks, they can give themselves as much time as necessary to determine which veterans will return. It’s clear there is a group who will be released, we just don’t know which players won’t be returning.
Perhaps all or some of the team’s draft picks won’t be signed until those decisions are made.
Why Patriots May Not Be In a Rush to Sign Their Draft Picks